This invention relates to a device for diagnosing body cavity interiors with supersonic waves wherein a supersonic wave scanner part containing apparatus of transmitting and receiving supersonic waves is removably fitted on the tip of an endoscope having illuminating and observing optical systems arranged on the tip of a part to be inserted into a body cavity.
A supersonic wave diagnosing device wherein supersonic waves are transmitted and received to use acoustic information within a body cavity for a diagnosis has heretofore been used together with an endoscope wherein an inserted part can be inserted into a body cavity to optically observe the body cavity interior or to make a therapeutic treatment by using a forceps.
There are presently diagnosing devices using supersonic waves wherein supersonic wave pulses are projected into a living body from the surface of the living body and reflected waves from various organs within the living body are received to observe the movements of the abdominal part, heart and others, and also supersonic wave diagnosing devices for body cavity interiors wherein a part for transmitting, receiving and scanning supersonic waves is inserted into a body cavity to obtain reflected waves of the supersonic waves from a position near to an objective internal organ within the body cavity.
As compared with the former wherein supersonic wave pulses are projected from the surface of a living body, the latter is used in a position near to an objective internal organ, and the supersonic waves can be used at a high frequency that would normally attenuate greatly with an increase of the because distance, no unnecessary part of the body is interposed. Therefore the influence of the reflected waves from the unnecessary part can be avoided and therefore there is an advantage that a picture image high in resolving power and quality can be obtained.
Therefore, there has been developed a device for diagnosing body cavity interiors with supersonic waves wherein the above mentioned part transmitting, receiving and scanning supersonic waves for a supersonic wave diagnosis is inserted into a body cavity so that the position within the body cavity where the above mentioned part of the device is located can be determined and the body cavity interior can be optically observed.
As prior art examples of the above mentioned devices for diagnosing body cavity interiors with supersonic waves, there are such disclosures as, for example, in the Gazettes of Japanese Patents Laid Open Nos. 129026/1980 and 148530/1980. However, each of them has it as a primary object to transmit supersonic waves from a body cavity interior to an internal organ within the body cavity to obtain a supersonic wave cross-sectioned image and therefore a part of the function of the ordinary endoscope will be impaired. One of the greatest disadvantages is that the supersonic wave scanner part transmitting, receiving and scanning supersonic waves is added to the tip of the inserted part of the endoscope and the part which can not be bent at the tip is longer by about 30 mm. than that of an ordinary endoscope. Therefore, when the endoscope is to be inserted, the pain of the patient will be increased and the operability of the endoscope within the body cavity will be reduced. For these reasons, it is inconvenient to use an endoscope having a supersonic wave diagnosing function for an ordinary endoscope inspection, an endoscope exclusively for observation must be prepared and therefore there has been a problem that the economic burden will be large.